Kyle Autumn's Blog
March 28, 2018
Why I Write - In Sequence
Every week, I blog about my writing--why I write certain ways, genres, themes, subjects, etc. If you've missed any, you can find them here. And if you have a suggestion for what I should blog about my writing next, contact me. I love to hear from you :)
I'm an author who has to write in sequence, meaning I write the beginning, the middle, and the end all in the order they happen. I mostly do this because I don't outline (this will be a future blog!), so I have no idea what's going to happen to my characters next. If I were to write a scene toward the end, I may not be able to connect the beginning to it. So I write in the order the events occur.This also means I write books in order too. I start with book one, and even if book four is talking to me, it has to wait. Otherwise, I'll have to do too much editing on books one, two, and three to make them all work. I guess that's not a given, but I'd rather not take the chance on that. Editing is my least favorite thing to do.Actually, everything except write the actual book is my least favorite thing to do, but I also write stories in sequence so I don't have to worry about editing too much. If I tell the story in order, everything is fairly fresh in my mind. I don't have to work that hard to remember when things happened or in what order. The story flows much more easily, and I take notes on the scenes that I think I might occur later on down the road. Then, if they actually make sense by that point, I can write them with the past in mind. It's just a whole lot easier for me. Though it does make it tough when I'm not really hearing the next part of the story. Even if I feel like I know what will happen after the part I'm stuck on, I won't go write it. I'll write notes, but I won't write words that'll show up in the novel. I don't like wasting time, so I don't want to write things that won't end up in my books. I do other things until that next part speaks to me. Which maybe makes my writing process take a little longer, but that's okay. I enjoy what I'm doing, so it's all good.What about you? Do you write in order? Are you a reader who skips ahead to the end of the book? Tell me in the comments below! :)
I'm an author who has to write in sequence, meaning I write the beginning, the middle, and the end all in the order they happen. I mostly do this because I don't outline (this will be a future blog!), so I have no idea what's going to happen to my characters next. If I were to write a scene toward the end, I may not be able to connect the beginning to it. So I write in the order the events occur.This also means I write books in order too. I start with book one, and even if book four is talking to me, it has to wait. Otherwise, I'll have to do too much editing on books one, two, and three to make them all work. I guess that's not a given, but I'd rather not take the chance on that. Editing is my least favorite thing to do.Actually, everything except write the actual book is my least favorite thing to do, but I also write stories in sequence so I don't have to worry about editing too much. If I tell the story in order, everything is fairly fresh in my mind. I don't have to work that hard to remember when things happened or in what order. The story flows much more easily, and I take notes on the scenes that I think I might occur later on down the road. Then, if they actually make sense by that point, I can write them with the past in mind. It's just a whole lot easier for me. Though it does make it tough when I'm not really hearing the next part of the story. Even if I feel like I know what will happen after the part I'm stuck on, I won't go write it. I'll write notes, but I won't write words that'll show up in the novel. I don't like wasting time, so I don't want to write things that won't end up in my books. I do other things until that next part speaks to me. Which maybe makes my writing process take a little longer, but that's okay. I enjoy what I'm doing, so it's all good.What about you? Do you write in order? Are you a reader who skips ahead to the end of the book? Tell me in the comments below! :)
March 21, 2018
Why I Write - Erotic Shorts
Every week, I blog about my writing--why I write certain ways, genres, themes, subjects, etc. If you've missed any, you can find them here. And if you have a suggestion for what I should blog about my writing next, contact me. I love to hear from you :)
If you haven't noticed, my erotic shorts series The Voyeur has been releasing this month. One comes out every week (volume four comes out tomorrow!), and each one is one evening in the life of these neighbors who...enjoy each other. So...why do I write these?In a few words, they're fun! It's a snapshot in time, a really great evening shared between sexually charged, erotic people with no shame or guilt for their feelings. I have a lot of fun exploring those things with words, and if you haven't tried it, maybe you'd find it fun too. ;) Really, it's a blast to see how far I can take things. To see if anything shocks anyone or if anyone likes the things I've envisioned for these characters.I have ideas for more shorts series too. And I like that because they're quick to write, which means I get the gratification of having finished a story pretty fast. I can knock a 5k short out in an evening with no problem when I'm in the zone, so I'd love to get more consistent at these. Plus, it keeps my relationship in a good place. Ha! But seriously, I really enjoy finishing projects, so when I'm in a rut or feeling stuck, I can go to one of these series and crush a to-do-list item pretty quickly. That wakes me back up and gets me back on track.Also, it's fun to release something new every week! It's been so much fun getting these out there again. This relaunch has taught me a lot of stuff, and one of those things is that I really like releasing frequently. Especially when the stories are super short. So keep an eye out for more of these short series either this year or next year. They've been a pleasure to write and share with you all.What about you? Do you write erotic romance? Short stories? Do you read either of those? Let me know in the comments below!
If you haven't noticed, my erotic shorts series The Voyeur has been releasing this month. One comes out every week (volume four comes out tomorrow!), and each one is one evening in the life of these neighbors who...enjoy each other. So...why do I write these?In a few words, they're fun! It's a snapshot in time, a really great evening shared between sexually charged, erotic people with no shame or guilt for their feelings. I have a lot of fun exploring those things with words, and if you haven't tried it, maybe you'd find it fun too. ;) Really, it's a blast to see how far I can take things. To see if anything shocks anyone or if anyone likes the things I've envisioned for these characters.I have ideas for more shorts series too. And I like that because they're quick to write, which means I get the gratification of having finished a story pretty fast. I can knock a 5k short out in an evening with no problem when I'm in the zone, so I'd love to get more consistent at these. Plus, it keeps my relationship in a good place. Ha! But seriously, I really enjoy finishing projects, so when I'm in a rut or feeling stuck, I can go to one of these series and crush a to-do-list item pretty quickly. That wakes me back up and gets me back on track.Also, it's fun to release something new every week! It's been so much fun getting these out there again. This relaunch has taught me a lot of stuff, and one of those things is that I really like releasing frequently. Especially when the stories are super short. So keep an eye out for more of these short series either this year or next year. They've been a pleasure to write and share with you all.What about you? Do you write erotic romance? Short stories? Do you read either of those? Let me know in the comments below!
March 14, 2018
Why I Write - In Dual POV
Every week, I blog about my writing--why I write certain ways, genres, themes, subjects, etc. If you've missed any, you can find them here. And if you have a suggestion for what I should blog about my writing next, contact me. I love to hear from you :)
Dual POV is important to me because the reader gets to hear both sides of the story. They get to see how both characters are thinking and feeling, why they’re reacting the way the are, their motivations, fears, and goals from the source. The reader gets way more information, and though I write and love single POV as well, I think this provides a better balance in storytelling. A book told in dual POV has a little more depth, a little more freedom, and a little less restriction. There’s no worry about whether or not to put the characters into a certain scene together to get the point across because the characters can tell their stories themselves. I can add scenes with characters separately, and that means the reader gets so much more in depth with the characters. It’s a layer I like to add to my books.But there’s also the challenge of feeling fair and balanced. I like seeing the page time be equal between the two characters, so that adds an element of difficulty to writing. And I’m usually up for a challenge. So it makes it even more frustratingly fun for me to write stories this way. Yet, in the end, I’m usually glad I’ve told the story this way. I love stepping into the shoes of both characters and thoroughly exploring their stories. It’s so much fun for me. What about you? Why do you read and/or write dual POV? Or do you prefer single? Let me know in the comments!
Dual POV is important to me because the reader gets to hear both sides of the story. They get to see how both characters are thinking and feeling, why they’re reacting the way the are, their motivations, fears, and goals from the source. The reader gets way more information, and though I write and love single POV as well, I think this provides a better balance in storytelling. A book told in dual POV has a little more depth, a little more freedom, and a little less restriction. There’s no worry about whether or not to put the characters into a certain scene together to get the point across because the characters can tell their stories themselves. I can add scenes with characters separately, and that means the reader gets so much more in depth with the characters. It’s a layer I like to add to my books.But there’s also the challenge of feeling fair and balanced. I like seeing the page time be equal between the two characters, so that adds an element of difficulty to writing. And I’m usually up for a challenge. So it makes it even more frustratingly fun for me to write stories this way. Yet, in the end, I’m usually glad I’ve told the story this way. I love stepping into the shoes of both characters and thoroughly exploring their stories. It’s so much fun for me. What about you? Why do you read and/or write dual POV? Or do you prefer single? Let me know in the comments!
March 7, 2018
Why I Write - Sexy Romance
Every week, I blog about my writing--why I write certain ways, genres, themes, subjects, etc. If you've missed any, you can find them here. And if you have a suggestion for what I should blog about my writing next, contact me. I love to hear from you :)
I write sexy romance to inspire people to live life to the fullest. Sometimes that means taking chances -sexy chances. Sexy, steamy romance is possible in real life, and it's just plain fun to write about it in fiction. I enjoy sexual tension in my books, writing scenes and characters that crackle like sexy lightning on the pages. And I absolutely love when readers send me messages to let me know how much they enjoyed the love story I wrote. Even if it makes me feel a little weird when I know they've read my sexy time scenes.Even though I'm not always super comfortable writing the sexy stuff, I love exploring it fictionally. I love seeing what my mind can come up with for the characters I'm writing about. It's all very fun for me, and I'm so glad people love to read it. And if you find any inspiration from the sexy romance in my books, I'm a happy camper. :)What about you? Do you like to read/write sexy romance? Why? Tell me in the comments below!
I write sexy romance to inspire people to live life to the fullest. Sometimes that means taking chances -sexy chances. Sexy, steamy romance is possible in real life, and it's just plain fun to write about it in fiction. I enjoy sexual tension in my books, writing scenes and characters that crackle like sexy lightning on the pages. And I absolutely love when readers send me messages to let me know how much they enjoyed the love story I wrote. Even if it makes me feel a little weird when I know they've read my sexy time scenes.Even though I'm not always super comfortable writing the sexy stuff, I love exploring it fictionally. I love seeing what my mind can come up with for the characters I'm writing about. It's all very fun for me, and I'm so glad people love to read it. And if you find any inspiration from the sexy romance in my books, I'm a happy camper. :)What about you? Do you like to read/write sexy romance? Why? Tell me in the comments below!
December 12, 2016
Why I Write - About Love
Every week, I blog about my writing--why I write certain ways, genres, themes, subjects, etc. If you've missed any, you can find themhere. And if you have a suggestion for what I should blog about my writing next, contact me. I love to hear from you :)
The short story is that I love love and that's why I write about it. Who doesn't love love? It makes us feel good, and I love reading and writing stories that make me feel good!The long story is that I'm rather fascinated by the idea, and in my mind, I'm always imagining how two people can meet and fall in love. In fact, the last few books I've started have been more about that moment than the actual struggle to end up together. I find that writing about two people falling in love is much easier than throwing them into drama that keeps them apart for a while. I want everyone to be happy, so I write about love. Because love makes us happy :)I love it when the people who are least likely to end up in a relationship get together. I love second chances, friends to lovers, student/teacher couples, and age gaps. I even enjoy paranormal romances with vampires, werewolves, and the fae. I don't mind triangles and stepbrother romances, but I haven't read as many of those. But I do read them because I love LOVE! And I'll write all kinds of love stories because of how much I love it. Honestly, I'm not sure I could write a book without any romance in it. Ha!What about you? Do you love love? Why do you read it/write it? Tell me in the comments! :)
The short story is that I love love and that's why I write about it. Who doesn't love love? It makes us feel good, and I love reading and writing stories that make me feel good!The long story is that I'm rather fascinated by the idea, and in my mind, I'm always imagining how two people can meet and fall in love. In fact, the last few books I've started have been more about that moment than the actual struggle to end up together. I find that writing about two people falling in love is much easier than throwing them into drama that keeps them apart for a while. I want everyone to be happy, so I write about love. Because love makes us happy :)I love it when the people who are least likely to end up in a relationship get together. I love second chances, friends to lovers, student/teacher couples, and age gaps. I even enjoy paranormal romances with vampires, werewolves, and the fae. I don't mind triangles and stepbrother romances, but I haven't read as many of those. But I do read them because I love LOVE! And I'll write all kinds of love stories because of how much I love it. Honestly, I'm not sure I could write a book without any romance in it. Ha!What about you? Do you love love? Why do you read it/write it? Tell me in the comments! :)
December 5, 2016
Why I Write - In Present Tense
Every week, I blog about my writing--why I write certain ways, genres, themes, subjects, etc. If you've missed any, you can find them here. And if you have a suggestion for what I should blog about my writing next, contact me. I love to hear from you :)
Just like with first-person POV, present tense is what I enjoy to read. So it came natural to me when I started to write my books. Present tense means it's happening right now. That shoves me right into the story like it's currently happening in the moment. Combined with first-person POV, it's as if I'm the character who's going through the plot of the story. The heartbreak, the disappointment, the falling in love, the ecstasy of pleasure... I could go on and on. All of those ups and downs the character experiences happen as we read them when present tense is used. And I love that.It's also partly because I'm a pantser when I write. For the most part, I guess. I usually have a good idea of the story between the two characters I'm going to write about, and then I go for it. Though I've been learning to embrace plotting, it still feels as though the characters are going through their plights as I write. New plot points arise as I work my way through the story, and writing those as if they've already happened feels foreign and wrong. To me, of course. Plenty of authors successfully write in past tense all the time. For now, I'm not one of them ;)I'm completely open to writing in past tense at some point. I don't want to limit myself as a writer and take something completely off the table. Any tense/POV combo could start to work for me if I give it a shot, but for now, I'll stick with present tense. It feels comfortable, and it seems to be working for me so far.What tense do you prefer? Present? Past? Sound off here! Whether it's about reading or writing, I want to hear from you and chat. My second favorite thing (next to writing stories) is talking about stories. So I'll see you in the comments!
Just like with first-person POV, present tense is what I enjoy to read. So it came natural to me when I started to write my books. Present tense means it's happening right now. That shoves me right into the story like it's currently happening in the moment. Combined with first-person POV, it's as if I'm the character who's going through the plot of the story. The heartbreak, the disappointment, the falling in love, the ecstasy of pleasure... I could go on and on. All of those ups and downs the character experiences happen as we read them when present tense is used. And I love that.It's also partly because I'm a pantser when I write. For the most part, I guess. I usually have a good idea of the story between the two characters I'm going to write about, and then I go for it. Though I've been learning to embrace plotting, it still feels as though the characters are going through their plights as I write. New plot points arise as I work my way through the story, and writing those as if they've already happened feels foreign and wrong. To me, of course. Plenty of authors successfully write in past tense all the time. For now, I'm not one of them ;)I'm completely open to writing in past tense at some point. I don't want to limit myself as a writer and take something completely off the table. Any tense/POV combo could start to work for me if I give it a shot, but for now, I'll stick with present tense. It feels comfortable, and it seems to be working for me so far.What tense do you prefer? Present? Past? Sound off here! Whether it's about reading or writing, I want to hear from you and chat. My second favorite thing (next to writing stories) is talking about stories. So I'll see you in the comments!
November 28, 2016
Why I Write - In First Person
Every week, I blog about my writing--why I write certain ways, genres, themes, subjects, etc. If you've missed any, you can find them here. And if you have a suggestion for what I should blog about my writing next, contact me. I love to hear from you :)
When I read, I prefer books told in first person. It makes me feel as though I'm actually the character. Like I'm the one going through the trials and emotions of the story. So, when I started writing, I naturally gravitated toward first person. That POV may give me less options and more limitation as a writer, but it's the one I enjoy the most as a reader. I feel way more capable of showing instead of telling when I'm able to give the reader the first-person point of view. That's not to say that it can't be done in second or third person. It absolutely can. And perhaps I'll explore that option at a later date. For now, it's all first person for me.It's how I think in terms of my characters. When I write, I become my characters, in a sense. They're in my head, so they're somehow a part of me. Which means, when their story comes out, it's like I'm telling it about myself. Using "I" is a natural part of that, and I hope the reader sinks right into my stories as if they're about them while they're reading them. That's how they come out of me, and because I know I won't please everyone, I write what I love: in first person.So I haven't had much experience with telling a story in third person. I've written in second person before, and it was definitely not my favorite, but I won't totally close the door on it. Third person is absolutely a possibility in the future, and I know that it's preferred in some genres. Romance accepts it for sure, so I could try it in the near future and run with it. But, for now, expect first-person POV from me and my work. It's what I'm used to writing, it's what I love to read, and it's what I love to write.What POV do you prefer? First? Second? Third? Sound off here! Whether it's reading or writing, I want to hear from you and chat. My second favorite thing (next to writing stories) is talking about stories. So I'll see you in the comments!
When I read, I prefer books told in first person. It makes me feel as though I'm actually the character. Like I'm the one going through the trials and emotions of the story. So, when I started writing, I naturally gravitated toward first person. That POV may give me less options and more limitation as a writer, but it's the one I enjoy the most as a reader. I feel way more capable of showing instead of telling when I'm able to give the reader the first-person point of view. That's not to say that it can't be done in second or third person. It absolutely can. And perhaps I'll explore that option at a later date. For now, it's all first person for me.It's how I think in terms of my characters. When I write, I become my characters, in a sense. They're in my head, so they're somehow a part of me. Which means, when their story comes out, it's like I'm telling it about myself. Using "I" is a natural part of that, and I hope the reader sinks right into my stories as if they're about them while they're reading them. That's how they come out of me, and because I know I won't please everyone, I write what I love: in first person.So I haven't had much experience with telling a story in third person. I've written in second person before, and it was definitely not my favorite, but I won't totally close the door on it. Third person is absolutely a possibility in the future, and I know that it's preferred in some genres. Romance accepts it for sure, so I could try it in the near future and run with it. But, for now, expect first-person POV from me and my work. It's what I'm used to writing, it's what I love to read, and it's what I love to write.What POV do you prefer? First? Second? Third? Sound off here! Whether it's reading or writing, I want to hear from you and chat. My second favorite thing (next to writing stories) is talking about stories. So I'll see you in the comments!
November 21, 2016
Why I Write - New Blog Series
I'm launching a new blog series on my author blog about why I write certain things. It might be a genre, a theme, a technical aspect, a group of characters, etc. But every Monday will feature a new "why I write [fill in the blank]" right here on the blog. It's my way of exploring why I write the way I do and sharing it with my readers and fellow authors. Maybe something will resonate with you. Maybe I'll discover more about by limits as a writer. Maybe it'll push me to go beyond what I think I'm capable of. Maybe we'll all learn a little something along the way.During this series, I'd love to hear from you too. Tell me how you feel about the topic. Let's discuss! Though I'll be blogging about the writing side, your responses can include your preferences on the reading side and/or the writing side. I write, but I also read, and I have different preferences when I'm a reader than I do when I'm a writer. So I hope to hear from you so we can chat.This is my way to dive deep into why I write the way I do so I can grow as a writerandshare with you some behind-the-scenes info of how my process works. So join me every Monday for a new installment. Leave suggestions, ask questions, post your opinions, and have fun. It's gonna be great. :)
November 16, 2016
I Won NaNoWriMo!
I could have won on day 12 if I'd pushedfor those words.But everything always works out the way it should. So I finished last night when I finally got a handle on my actual NaNo project. I was still in the middle of a project when NaNo started, and then I thought of a new one I needed to write before I started my next one. Which happens to be a book I started writing in April of 2015. And I needed some time to reread and get reacquainted with these characters. This one, unlike my others, is told in single POV, and she's rather spunky. So this one is going to be fun!Though I did have some trouble getting back to it. The premise sounded fun and entertaining, but I had no idea what would keep them apart for the rest of the book until they got together. It took hours (!!!) to finally figure out their whole plan. I firmly believe that I don't come up with these stories. They come to me. And Ellie and her gang were being stubborn. But it will be worth it! I'm feeling much better about how this one will unfold, and I hope to finish it before the end of NaNo, actually. Wish me luck!What about you? How's NaNo going? I hope you're enjoying yourself. I'm over here rooting for you!
November 13, 2016
Week 2 of NaNoWriMo
Okay. How cute is that? Seriously. A nano rhino. I can't! ;)Alright. Back to it. This week has been...interesting. It's post-election week, and my writing took a bit of a hit. My focus did, which is why my writing did. But I'm here to put that behind me! Time to move on. I need 7873 more words to win NaNo, and I can totally smash that out. I'm even officially starting my actual NaNo project! Which I hope to hit 50K in (I have 11K from when I started before) by the end of November. As long as I focus and work, I can do it! Yeah!This project is going to be so fun. So, tomorrow, I'm going to read through what I have and take lots of notes so I can move forward with it. I have a lot of started manuscripts I'll be finishing before starting too many of the new ideas I have. And I also want to write another one of my super-sexy 4K shorts this week too. Wish me luck! How are YOU doing? Is it going well for you? I hope so. :)
